


you won't find the beat until you lose yourself in it

by tyomawrites



Series: Rain & Ragnarok [5]
Category: Vikings (TV)
Genre: Brotherly Affection, Brotherly Bonding, Brotherly Love, Gen, M/M, Realization
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-06-06
Updated: 2019-06-06
Packaged: 2020-04-11 16:46:02
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 844
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19113718
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/tyomawrites/pseuds/tyomawrites
Summary: Halfdan has always had Harald. Through thick and thin, through the round patches, through their childhood and life. Sometimes, Harald helps him realizes a whole lot more about what he loves.





	you won't find the beat until you lose yourself in it

“I love all our gods, all of them, but I only love two people. You my brother, and my princess.” Harald’s words linger into his ears, they roll around in his mind. His brother has always been there from him, since he was just a babe and their mother entrusted him into Harald’s care. Since he was a teen, growing up fighting next to Harald. When Harald became King, they had always been side by side.

Halfdan sighs loudly to himself, firmly tugging his furs further over his shoulders. Harald has done so much for him in their lives, in the last three decades. Harald is at his side, his eyes trained up upon the stars overhead. 

“You deserve more than she’s promised.” Halfdan finally speaks. His voice is softer than he intends but Harald hears him all the same. 

“She made me a promise.” Harald’s voice is wrought even if he doesn’t realize it. His big brother doesn’t often cry, nor does he show his emotions so easily, but Halfdan can see the tears that well in the corner of Harald’s eyes. His own chest clenches, with fear, sadness.

Harald turns to look at him, with soft and gentle eyes. His brother smiles at him although it’s forced. Halfdan reaches out to grasp Harald’s shoulders and to embrace his older brother, hugging Harald. Harald pushes his face into the furs on his shoulders. Harald’s hands clench into the furs on the lapels of his coat.

“She made me  _ a promise! _ ” Harald half shouts into the furs on his shoulders. Halfdan hugs his brother, wrapping his arms around Harald’s shoulders until they stop shaking.

“I love all of our gods brother. I loved  _ her _ .” Harald growls, although it’s weak and halfhearted. Halfdan aches and holds onto his brother. Here among the construction site of Kattegat’s defences, where no one is around now that night has completely fallen and the village has grown quiet, where no one can judge Harald for crying into his shoulder Halfdan softens. 

“You deserve better than she could give you brother.” It makes him think of Bragi in a way, how Bragi has been so devoted through a decade to him, it’s the kind of love that Harald had been dreaming of. “Someone will come to love you, someone will.” Halfdan tries to reassure his brother, the fact that he knows Bragi is waiting for him to come to bed has him rubbing Harald's back softly.

How lucky he is that he has a prince who loves him enough to rival stories from the gods.

Harald shakes his head against his shoulder and stops him from speaking. They dip into silence, standing, embracing each other. Eventually Harald pulls away from his furs and stares up at him. His eyes glitter in the moonlight shining down of them.

It hurts Halfdan to see Harald like this. He keeps his hands onto Harald’s shoulders and searches Harald’s face.

“Thank you.” Harald rasps. Harald sniffles and brushes at his nose with the back of his hand, before he turns away, pretending like his eyes aren’t red rimmed.

“Always brother. Always.” As Halfdan wraps an arm around Harald’s shoulders, they turn back towards Kattegat. Harald says something next to him, before a soft, “good night brother” follows his claim of tiredness. They walk through Kattegat, absentmindedly trading half-hearted barbs with each other until they split off from each other. Harald heads towards their men, and Halfdan splits off towards Bragi’s house in town. 

As Halfdan slips his key into the lock on the door, he takes a deep breath, thinking about the love he has with Bragi. He pushes the door open, smiling when he catches sight of Bragi curled under their shared blankets. 

The door clicks shut behind him, as his entire expression softens while he watches the rise and fall of Bragi’s chest. 'I am the luckiest man.' Halfdan thinks to himself as he sees Bragi's hair spread around his head like a halo. Bragi looks beautiful on their bed, smiling softly in his sleep.

_ “But I only love two people. You, my brother, and my princess.”  _ Harald’s voice rolls around his head again. Bragi shifts in their bed. Halfdan sighs to himself and drapes his coat over the glory box next to the door. He brushes a hand over Bragi’s shoulders and slips into bed next to him. 

Bragi turns over to look at him his blue eyes sleep addled and soft. Bragi stretches and kisses him softly, still sleepy as he mumbles a soft “hello.” Halfdan kisses him sweetly, it’s soft and lazy and gentle, a sense of domesticity that has Halfdan melting into the mattress. 

“I’m so happy I have you.” Halfdan says suddenly against Bragi’s lips. Bragi smiles back at him. He meets Bragi’s blue eyes and smiles, reaching up to brush a thumb over the tattoo on Bragi’s cheek. “I love you.”

Bragi blinks, once, twice, and a third time before the smile Bragi gives is bright and blinding. “I love you too.” Bragi murmurs back, heartfelt. 


End file.
